Introduction: Is Trinidad and Tobago Unique?

This chapter explores the uniqueness of Trinidad and Tobago (TT) based on the occurrence of five characteristics: a small population, reliant on hydrocarbons, ethnically diverse, a former British colony, and a democracy. The literature suggests that these characteristics individually and together, sometimes reinforcing each other or acting as countervailing forces, would shape much of the country’s political, economic, and social outcomes. The empirical data align with these assertions insofar as TT underperforms in economic growth, governance, and life expectancy when compared to relevant peers for each distinctive trait.